Tests for checking the blood components are widely performed to grasp the condition of a human body. To perform such a test, blood as a sample is drawn from a human body and collected in e.g. a vacuum blood collection tube (see e.g. Patent document 1). The blood collected in the vacuum blood collection tube is subjected to a test for hemoglobin (hereinafter referred to as “Hb”) or C-reactive protein (hereinafter referred to as “CRP”) by an optical technique or a test for counting white blood cells, red blood cells and blood platelets, for example.
FIG. 16 shows an example of stopper remover to be used before transferring the blood (now shown) from a vacuum blood collection tube Cn to a test apparatus. Specifically, the illustrated stopper remover X is used for pulling out the stopper St from the vacuum blood collection tube Cn, with the sample storage portion Sr held. The stopper remover X includes a rod 91 and a pair of levers 92. The rod 91 includes an end 91a, which may be made of rubber, and is vertically movable. The paired levers 92 include ends formed with pawls 92a. The levers are vertically movable and can open and close. Firstly, to pull out the stopper St, the rod 91 is moved down to press the end 91a against the stopper St. Then, the paired levers 92 are closed to bring the pawls 92a into engagement with the lower end of the stopper St. In this state, the rod 91 and the levers 92 are moved upward. As a result, the stopper St is removed from the sample storage portion Sr. Thereafter, the sample storage portion Sr is set to the test apparatus for testing the blood as the sample.
However, to improve the airtightness of the vacuum blood collection tube Cn, the stopper St is strongly pressed into the sample storage portion Sr. Thus, to pull out the stopper St, a large force is required. Thus, in reaction to the pulling force, the blood adhering to the stopper St may be scattered. Since the scattered blood can be a source of infection, the works such as properly wiping off the blood and sterilizing need to be performed. The scattering of blood may occur even when the stopper St is manually removed without using the above-described stopper remover X. In this way, the operation to pull out the stopper St from the vacuum blood collection tube has a hygiene problem.
Patent Document 1: JP-A-2005-224366
Patent Document 2: JP-A-5-228379